TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The much needed pay-parking proposal of the Corporation of the City of Panaji will be delayed further with Mayor Surendra Furtado accusing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar of keeping the project in abeyance due to pressure from businessmen, till the forthcoming Assembly session scheduled next month.
Furtado also alleged step-motherly treatment meted out to the CCP by government, alleging that it had not sanctioned a single pie in the last four months, forcing the Corporation to look for sponsors to carry out city developmental work.
The entire 18th June Road, which is lined by a number of business establishments and the area around Panjim church square would be made a pay parking area as per the proposal drafted by CCP and the district administration.
Speaking to media persons on Friday, Furtado alleged that Chief Minister and Panjim MLA, under pressure from the business establishments and his party colleagues, is delaying the proposal of pay parking, which would help in resolving the issue of traffic congestion along the city’s busiest road.
“Chief Minister in his noting has asked administration to keep the pay-parking proposal in abeyance till the coming assembly session,” Mayor said adding ‘the secretary to Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) has also stated in his comment that it would be difficult to impose such a concept’.
With traffic congestion and haphazard parking increasing in the city, the CCP, North Collector and traffic department held meetings regarding pay parking proposal and sent it to the government for approval, a fortnight back.
“Panjim MLA is not working for those people who voted him to power… he is playing a dirty game… under the pretext of some business lobby. He is delaying the proposal,” Furtado alleged.
The Mayor demanded that chief minister should revoke his note and issue directions for notification of the proposal. The pay parking along 18th June road should be in line with that at Patto complex, he said.
“In last four and half months, since I took over, CCP has not received a single pie from government for any of its developmental work. Hence, we went for sponsors and purchased trucks along with carrying out some other cleaning works,” he told reporters.
Furtado alleged lack of support from government in resolving the issues haunting the Corporation. He pointed out that series of letters were drafted to chief minister with several demands including that vacant/unused areas be converted into parking, funds, etc but they received no reply.
“We had also proposed that the old Secretariat be handed over to CCP for its headquarter, but government is mum on this issue too,” he said.
